2018 NRL.com Fantasy thread part 4

Thoughts on Merrin this year?

Cameron Munster's future up in the air with the Storm


https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/02/07/cameron-munsters-nrl-future-up-in-the-air-at-melbourne-storm/

Fortitude wrote:

I’ve got Cronk and Croft
Croker,Milne, Teddy, Inglis,
ponga, walker, Cook...
r

A Haiku.
A Haiku is what you have got.

filthridden wrote:

A Haiku.
A Haiku is what you have got.

Only February and we already have post if the year

Harviginald wrote:Thoughts on Merrin this year?

To me Merrin seems like an OK buy, especially if Peachey leaves with Cartwright already gone he could see a small rise in game time. IMO he will score 40-50 consistently with an occasional 70 every so often. However Frizell being slightly more expensive (2k) and with potential to play higher minutes he may be an equal if not slightly better choice. Both are good POD players at 2.4% ownership and the only concern for me with Merrin is the seemingly unstable environment in Penrith and if the playing group can't work effectively with the coach then it may lead to poor performances from Penrith players due to lack of morale. Just a potential scenario though. Lastly Merrin probably wont be in origin and Frizell will most likely will so as long as you factor that in.

Back to the question though, Merrin is good POD IMO

Merrin super fit apparently.

Pacey's Best wrote:Cameron Munster's future up in the air with the Storm


https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/02/07/cameron-munsters-nrl-future-up-in-the-air-at-melbourne-storm/

Yep. Don't believe Hunt sweeping the world cup dust up under the carpet. Munster didn't get sent home for no reason.

Pacey's Best wrote:Cameron Munster's future up in the air with the Storm


https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/02/07/cameron-munsters-nrl-future-up-in-the-air-at-melbourne-storm/

I put him in my team for 5 minutes and this happens haha

Storm wont release him. This is the only way the media could think to report on the "incident" from last weekend without getting in trouble

my tv broke wrote:Storm wont release him. This is the only way the media could think to report on the "incident" from last weekend without getting in trouble

The NRL don't want negative press in the Melbourne market. So they buy off the journos with a promise of something down the track. Throw someone under the bus in the saturated Sydney market.

Some people may have convinced me to run with Aitken but unfortunately that means Cartwright is in my 17 (or Croker) Thoughts on this team please lads

Smith
Bromwich Lodge
Brown Murray Arrow
Watson Cartwright
Aitken Milne
Tedesco Ponga Hiku

Cook
Lichaa
NAS
Garvey

Croker
Doeuhi
Kennar
Evans

If Opacic finds his way into the team I may run with cheap centres as I could replace Evans with Harris and have Garvey as a cash cow outside my 17

danseels1985 wrote:Some people may have convinced me to run with Aitken but unfortunately that means Cartwright is in my 17 (or Croker) Thoughts on this team please lads

Smith
Bromwich Lodge
Brown Murray Arrow
Watson Cartwright
Aitken Milne
Tedesco Ponga Hiku

Cook
Lichaa
NAS
Garvey

Croker
Doeuhi
Kennar
Evans

It's really very similar to a lot of other teams posted - which probably means it represents pretty good conventional wisdom as to the pre-season form/price tradeoffs.

I reckon it also indicates that once you've put CS9/Teddy/Brown in a team, you're really pretty limited with your choices after that: there's only space for a half-dozen mid-rangers with the rest scraps. Seeing a few of these teams around, it makes me really wonder about Friend/Merrin or Macca/Fifita team builds, both in terms of growth potential and POD.

Opacic is a solid defensive centre, much like Jack Reed.

If it is confirmed Bird will miss the first month he might be worth a go however I can see Bird coming back in Rd2 and throwing plans out the window.

Coach Nathan Brown has named his starting 13 for the trial match against the Storm tomorrow:

1. Kalyn Ponga
2. Shaun Kenny-Dowall
3. Sione Mata'utia
4. Cory Denniss
5. Nathan Ross
6. Connor Watson
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. Jacob Lillyman
9. Slade Griffin
10. Herman Ese'ese
11. Lachlan Fitzgibbon
12. Aidan Guerra
13. Jamie Buhrer

Barnett and Moga omitted for this game

danseels1985 wrote:Some people may have convinced me to run with Aitken but unfortunately that means Cartwright is in my 17 (or Croker) Thoughts on this team please lads

Smith
Bromwich Lodge
Brown Murray Arrow
Watson Cartwright
Aitken Milne
Tedesco Ponga Hiku

Cook
Lichaa
NAS
Garvey

Croker
Doeuhi
Kennar
Evans

Pretty similar to what I have. Although I'm running a cheapy instead of Ponga and Thurston in for Carty who is on my bench. Want to squeeze Ponga in somehow though

Ponga is kicking goals in the trial.

Pookus McFly wrote:Coach Nathan Brown has named his starting 13 for the trial match against the Storm tomorrow:

1. Kalyn Ponga
2. Shaun Kenny-Dowall
3. Sione Mata'utia
4. Cory Denniss
5. Nathan Ross
6. Connor Watson
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. Jacob Lillyman
9. Slade Griffin
10. Herman Ese'ese
11. Lachlan Fitzgibbon
12. Aidan Guerra
13. Jamie Buhrer

Barnett and Moga omitted for this game

So you'd assume full strength is
Moga for Denniss
Barnett for Fitzgibbon/Buhrer

D Saifiti was reported before as having a starting spot, so either that was wrong, or Lillyman/Ese'ese are competing for the other spot.

my tv broke wrote:Ponga is kicking goals in the trial.

Big news here is that Newcastle have got themselves in a position to kick goals

Knights will be everyones 2nd team this year.

Would love to see them compete for the 8.