NRL Fantasy 2021 Part 4 - Praying that nobody gets hurt

rhinoceroo wrote:

Two minutes between Matt hearing the rumour and declaring him starting half.

The Pascoe Fiasco wrote:
This rumour has been on Tigers fan sites for a couple of weeks. Not sure how true it is.

Mulvy wrote:Anyone getting on the Macca train?

mattnz wrote:
Yeah fits my Subgun POD team criteria well, I'm on the train.

easytiger wrote:Just on Luke Brooks;

I'm a little mystified why people think he will get a significant boost in his Kick Metres?
Over the past 7 years in 70+ minute games (142 of them) he's averaged 233KM.

His average over the past 3 years playing next to Benji is 256KM
His average over the past 3 years when playing without Benji is 265KM (essentially barely any difference).

His average prior to Benji coming to the club was 214KM.

He's kicked over 400 metres in a game on 6 occasions across 142 games.
He's kicked over 300 metres in under 30% of his games (to put that into context, Milford's quiet year last year where his KM's were massively down, still had him kicking over 300KM in just over 30% of his games). There's no real point comparing him to the big KM halves, because it's just not even close to being comparable.

Benji's average playing next to Brooks was 195KM.
Adam Doueihi averaged 235KM from 5 games playing in the halves - which suggests he is at the very least competent enough to keep doing in-play kicking - so there's no real reason that I can see why Luke Brooks should suddenly dominate the kicking.
I'd also mention that the pre-season "It's Luke Brooks' team to run" has become an annual press release for a number of years now...

Don't get me wrong, I think Brooks should have upside, a little from slightly reduced minutes last year (still averaged 70 minutes per game), but it seems to me that any upside is most likely to be from boosting other attacking stats back to their normal levels? - which kind've makes it a hunch pick

mattnz wrote:
Hastings gets one spot, Doueihi and Brooks fight it out for the other.

Mulvy wrote:

What are you expecting?

StormTrooper96 wrote:I wouldn't own Brooks just for the shear fact I hate watching him IRL.

Iron Mike wrote:I may be warming to an 80 minute Wayde Egan!

mattnz wrote:

80 minute hooker (the same as every game he started last season)
The hope is an average of somewhere close to the 65 that he managed last season, but anything 60+ justifies his spot as a season keeper who will play round 13, priced at just 54.

Mulvy wrote:

Two tries and two try saves though....60 might be a safer estimate.  Definitely 80 min at the Dragons? Or eased in after his injury? Anyone know how he looks?

Mulvy wrote:Anyone getting on the Macca train?

Milchcow wrote:

His 2020 stats were so much better than his previous couple of years. By much more than just the 6-again rule changes would account for  (although he does have some other good years further back in his history).

So it depends if you think that is sustainable going forward or not.

Best case you can get pretty close to Cook's scores for $130k less, with no origin.

Bad case is he is priced slightly over his output, but scores well enough that you just can't justify ditching him*


*AKA every time I've owned mCCullough in the past.