NRL Fantasy 2024 Part 65 - Only four threads to go. We can do this.

I have a trade 2 trades to burn but still not sold on the best option will only use one as I have 17 before the trade but includes Shoes and Hands.  My options are;

McLean out - options for him I'm looking at are;

Kiraz - Deathriding hasn't been fun this season even though I had him in draft.  Playing centre though but seems to gun it every week.
DCE - Bounce back factor, but will be a tough match against the Dogs.
Angus - Score inflated by tries last week and below average scores before that.  However, the ability to go large and a relatively safe option.  Chance of a rest next week but as per above discussion, maybe not.
Lucas - Jele brought his name up to me and I love it as an option.  Scores well in the second row and a couple of games where he could find the line.  Good KPP handcuff too for next week.
Gagai - Good draw, ability to go large.  Might suffer with Best back though.

or KPP out - options are;

Burton - Team is on fire and finding a way each week to score well.
Turbo - Manly's heartbeat at the moment but will the Dogs focus to contain him.

Not sold on getting Hynes back in just yet and I think KPP probably worth keeping over McLean.  Any thoughts would be great to keep the chatter going.

robelgordo wrote:Yeah, agree. Outside Storm, I think all the other teams will at least have a scenario where they need to win to get a home final chance at a minimum. And if Bulldogs win this week, the top 4 is still wide open.

This.

And unfortunately (for my Broncos), Storm doing their resting this week, so can't see any of them getting a rest next week.
Which, putting my bias aside, is exactly what I would be doing too.

Pappy and Munster have had decent injury breaks, are playing a bit rusty and basically need gametime ahead of the finals (hence why they are playing this week).
So although a risk, I can't see either of them not playing next week either.

wolfking wrote:I have a trade 2 trades to burn but still not sold on the best option will only use one as I have 17 before the trade but includes Shoes and Hands.  My options are;

McLean out - options for him I'm looking at are;

Kiraz - Deathriding hasn't been fun this season even though I had him in draft.  Playing centre though but seems to gun it every week.
DCE - Bounce back factor, but will be a tough match against the Dogs.
Angus - Score inflated by tries last week and below average scores before that.  However, the ability to go large and a relatively safe option.  Chance of a rest next week but as per above discussion, maybe not.
Lucas - Jele brought his name up to me and I love it as an option.  Scores well in the second row and a couple of games where he could find the line.  Good KPP handcuff too for next week.
Gagai - Good draw, ability to go large.  Might suffer with Best back though.

or KPP out - options are;

Burton - Team is on fire and finding a way each week to score well.
Turbo - Manly's heartbeat at the moment but will the Dogs focus to contain him.

Not sold on getting Hynes back in just yet and I think KPP probably worth keeping over McLean.  Any thoughts would be great to keep the chatter going.

Of those options only, I like Angus ahead of Gagai depending on risk/reward appetite.

Not sure what KPP's chances are of returning next round (sounded pretty bad laceration and they may well be out of contention by then) but regardless, I prefer Angus/Gagai ahead of those options you have there anyway (purely based on draw as I think Dogs & Sharks are going to be hard for Manly).
Not sure if KPP out opens other options though e.g. Ponga etc.?

robelgordo wrote:

Yeah Hynes, but awks with about 30 mins between Sharks 24-hr cut and Souths kickoff

If you're confident you can backtrack in that window, Edwards/Teddy/Koloa/Ponga would be my top options. Noting you've missed Burton and DCE by then

Yeah, I think I'll try to pull off the trade in that 30 minute window and no big thing if I miss it....I'll play Hands or Starling

Have Koloa, Ponga and Burton already and am going to steer clear of Roosters/Panthers (this week at least). Think I'd rather Hynes than DCE.

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

Of those options only, I like Angus ahead of Gagai depending on risk/reward appetite.

Not sure what KPP's chances are of returning next round (sounded pretty bad laceration and they may well be out of contention by then) but regardless, I prefer Angus/Gagai ahead of those options you have there anyway (purely based on draw as I think Dogs & Sharks are going to be hard for Manly).
Not sure if KPP out opens other options though e.g. Ponga etc.?

Thanks mate. Angus is probably the smartest play and just have to hope they are not in the position to rest next week. Already have Ponga. Gagai I'm warming to also but Lucas is defintely a POD. Not sure on KPP, I'll keep looking but probably both KPP and McLean don't play next week so it won't matter. They only other option KPP opens up is Hynes.

“Nicho Hynes will be forced to yield playmaking duties in his highly anticipated return….this weekend as the Sharks ease their star halfback. Brandon Trindall will remain the focus of the attack with Hynes pushed to a secondary role. Hynes will be told to play a simple game and not feel a need to dominate and control the whole match”
Source: Dean Ritchie, Daily Telegraph

Put the line through Hynes then it seems.

Storm to be full strength next week;

https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/other/storm-boss-delivers-hammer-blow-to-broncos-ahead-of-must-win-fortnight/ar-AA1pBZNi?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=b31d6978bbec497daf3ec224c8bb6654&ei=12

wolfking wrote:Put the line through Hynes then it seems.

OH WELL BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

From a article I was able to get around just posted about KPP;

Newcastle Knights international Kai Pearce-Paul has opened up on the moment he looked down at his leg and noticed a massive wound which left it looking like a “hot dog bun”, requiring emergency surgery.  England representative Pearce-Paul, whose coach Adam O’Brien described the gruesome injury as similar to a shark bite, has been told there’s a chance he could play in the Knights’ final round match with a shin pad protecting the injury. The 23-year-old limped from the field in Newcastle’s season-saving win against the Rabbitohs last Saturday night with a gaping wound in his shin, the result of friendly fire from teammate Dylan Lucas’ boot.

Pearce-Paul was rushed into surgery on Sunday morning to clean and close the cut, which stretched almost 15cm down his shin. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t know [at the time],” Pearce-Paul told this masthead.  “I only really noticed a couple of plays later when there was a stoppage. I looked down and thought it was just like any old graze. Then I looked again and I’ve gone, ‘Oh’. It was open and it was like a hot dog bun with a bit of flesh hanging out.

“I’m next to [team-mate] Phoenix Crossland and I’m like, ‘Phoen, is that my bone?’ There was white through the middle. He swore when he saw it. I literally walked straight to the doctor. I don’t know whether it was the bone or the flesh that was a different colour, but it was that deep – and it wasn’t nice.”  Pearce-Paul needed Newcastle’s medical staff to delicately treat the injury in the dressing sheds before he was taken to hospital that night.  By the next morning he was undergoing surgery to clean the wound before having both internal and external stitches applied to close the gash.

But despite O’Brien saying the injury made him feel sick, teammates were amazed at Pearce-Paul’s calmness on the sidelines – even taking time to inspect the damage himself.  “I’m actually quite good with things like that,” he said. “I was more in disbelief than anything. I didn’t really understand how it happened. It was more shock and I was just thinking, ‘what the hell has happened here?’  “[But] I was quite interested when they were checking it out. I’m not too squeamish. The boys said I looked really casual when they were checking it out. It’s just a long chunk out of the leg. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt as much as I thought.”  Pearce-Paul will miss the Knights’ must-win clash against the Titans this weekend, but will wait on medical advice to see if he can return for the final round showdown against the Dolphins, which could decide Newcastle’s finals fate.

Doctors have already discussed the prospect of Pearce-Paul strapping a shin pad to his leg to protect it from further damage.

robelgordo wrote:

OH WELL BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

Haas?

So gross.

Wondering if his "sideline calmness" was being in shock at seeing half his leg flapping off

wolfking wrote:From a article I was able to get around just posted about KPP;

Newcastle Knights international Kai Pearce-Paul has opened up on the moment he looked down at his leg and noticed a massive wound which left it looking like a “hot dog bun”, requiring emergency surgery.  England representative Pearce-Paul, whose coach Adam O’Brien described the gruesome injury as similar to a shark bite, has been told there’s a chance he could play in the Knights’ final round match with a shin pad protecting the injury.  The 23-year-old limped from the field in Newcastle’s season-saving win against the Rabbitohs last Saturday night with a gaping wound in his shin, the result of friendly fire from teammate Dylan Lucas’ boot.

Pearce-Paul was rushed into surgery on Sunday morning to clean and close the cut, which stretched almost 15cm down his shin.  “I’ll be honest, I didn’t know [at the time],” Pearce-Paul told this masthead.  “I only really noticed a couple of plays later when there was a stoppage. I looked down and thought it was just like any old graze. Then I looked again and I’ve gone, ‘Oh’. It was open and it was like a hot dog bun with a bit of flesh hanging out.

“I’m next to [team-mate] Phoenix Crossland and I’m like, ‘Phoen, is that my bone?’ There was white through the middle. He swore when he saw it. I literally walked straight to the doctor. I don’t know whether it was the bone or the flesh that was a different colour, but it was that deep – and it wasn’t nice.”  Pearce-Paul needed Newcastle’s medical staff to delicately treat the injury in the dressing sheds before he was taken to hospital that night.  By the next morning he was undergoing surgery to clean the wound before having both internal and external stitches applied to close the gash.

But despite O’Brien saying the injury made him feel sick, teammates were amazed at Pearce-Paul’s calmness on the sidelines – even taking time to inspect the damage himself.  “I’m actually quite good with things like that,” he said. “I was more in disbelief than anything. I didn’t really understand how it happened. It was more shock and I was just thinking, ‘what the hell has happened here?’  “[But] I was quite interested when they were checking it out. I’m not too squeamish. The boys said I looked really casual when they were checking it out. It’s just a long chunk out of the leg. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt as much as I thought.”  Pearce-Paul will miss the Knights’ must-win clash against the Titans this weekend, but will wait on medical advice to see if he can return for the final round showdown against the Dolphins, which could decide Newcastle’s finals fate.

Doctors have already discussed the prospect of Pearce-Paul strapping a shin pad to his leg to protect it from further damage.

at least lucas owners are happy...silver linings

wolfking wrote:

Haas?

Nah, I think they might ease him in, which for Haas is probably still 50 mins. Currently have 3 ideas

Fainu + Strange to Koloa/Teddy + Munster/Papy (as before)
Fainu + Strange to Reynolds + Kini
Uto + Strange to Reynolds + Haumole

Think probably all much of a muchness really.

robelgordo wrote:So gross.

Wondering if his "sideline calmness" was being in shock at seeing half his leg flapping off

I did think that myself truthfully.

White Lightning wrote:

at least lucas owners are happy...silver linings

Still temped by Lucas as my trade in. Although if KPP comes back next week, I have KPP but possibly a benched Lucas too. But if KPP can't play, you get two weeks of second row Lucas. Although knowing fantasy, I trade him in and Best pulls out 24 hours before and Lucas moves to centre and I can't reverse.

robelgordo wrote:

Nah, I think they might ease him in, which for Haas is probably still 50 mins. Currently have 3 ideas

Fainu + Strange to Koloa/Teddy + Munster/Papy (as before)
Fainu + Strange to Reynolds + Kini
Uto + Strange to Reynolds + Haumole

Think probably all much of a muchness really.

if Storm are indeed full strength next week, I think the first option, easily.

wolfking wrote:

if Storm are indeed full strength next week, I think the first option, easily.

I'm leaning that way. I think it's fairly close if you assume Papy/Munster continue to score at 2024 levels, but if you consider the upside of them reaching historical levels, then it wins.

Rabbits21 wrote:Hornby said the reason we challenged it on Cam is he wanted to play with Damien and Tom next week for their last games with us but it wasn’t to be

That's so dumb

Didn't challenge because they thought he had a solid case, but because they thought a judiciary might consider feelings and allow him to play a farewell game with some buddies.

I guess totes worth missing R1 next year for that

What kind of club is this?