We kick things off on in the NRL on Good Friday afternoon, with the traditional matchup pitting the Bulldogs up against the Rabbitohs. Then at 8:00pm, the Storm look to continue their dominance over the competition, as they head to Suncorp Stadium to take on the vastly improved Dolphins, in what should be a good sign of where the home side is. In my opinion, the two best teams in the competition (Bulldogs and Storm) for our double header on Good Friday, couldn’t be any more excited!
Draftstars have several contests on offer for Friday night, including single-match contests, and combined matchups. These include:
NRL $6,000 – Bulldogs v Rabbitohs
NRL $10,000 – Dolphins v Storm
NRL $3,000 – Friday Night doubleheader
There are plenty of other contests that will tickle your fancy, so get involved and make the greatest game of all even more exciting.
Betting Markets
Bulldogs ($1.30) vs Rabbitohs ($3.50)
Line: Bulldogs (-10.5)
Points: 44.5
Dolphins ($4.30) vs Storm ($1.22)
Line: Storm (-13.5)
Points: 51.5
If you’re looking to bet on the NRL this season, then you can bet with PlayUp by using the same account that you have at Draftstars. PlayUp are Australian owned and offer a strong range of NRL betting markets and offers, including Same Game Multis.
Top Fantasy Plays
VALUE
Sualauvi Faalogo ($8,800) will play his first game of the season on Friday night, coming in on the wing for Will Warbrick (concussion), and whilst wing isn’t his best position, everyone should remember how brilliant Faalogo looks with the ball in his hand. At near bottom dollar, it’s hard not to like the Storm winger here, and I wouldn’t be overly surprised if he spent some time at fullback if this game gets out of hand early.
Jacob Kiraz ($10,910) came back from injury last week and will be better for the run. Kiraz is one of the best tackle busting wingers in the game, and is also a potent off loader, meaning he can get you points without huge attacking stats, something most wingers can’t do. If Kiraz can manage a try (12 last year), you can expect a great score of 50+ for a reasonably cheap prospect. His floor makes him an easy play. Last week, Kiraz ran for 178 running metres, popped five offloads, and broke two tackles on his way to a score of 39.
MID PRICE
Matt Burton (13,680) is back from injury, and whilst he may be a little rusty, I think he is a terrific play here at price. Burton scored a 62.7 in round 1, off the back of 433 kicking metres, four goals, 17 tackles, 121 running metres, and four tackle breaks. He was injured inside half an hour in round 2, hence his low score, and he is being priced well below someone who would average in the low 60’s. The risk is rustiness and re-injuring his knee, however the upside is the highest score of the slate, for mid-price.
Stefano Utoikamanu ($14,150) is starting to look far more comfortable in the Storm jersey, punching out 52 and 45 minutes the past two weeks, pushing his scores to 72 and 56, respectively. Whilst his base isn’t tremendous, he has quickly added an offload and tackle breaking ability to his game the past two weeks, and if that keeps up, he should be good for another 45+ score this week, with solid low 70’s upside with a try. Plenty of decent options in this range this week, but I’ll take the Storm player.
PREMIUM
Jacob Preston ($19,720) is a premium option, with his price the second highest of any player in this slate. It’s hard to argue with his price, with his last two scores of 78.5 and 62.3 showing he is an elite second rower. The one concern I have is that Viliami Kikau looks like he is on the cusp of a return, and Preston’s points have definitely increased since Kikau has been out. Cause and effect, or just coincidence? Who knows, however if you’re willing to invest such a large chunk of your cap, you’d want to be confident it doesn’t affect Preston. I’m happy to trust him and will certainly play him in some of my teams, however the next man on the list is my favoured gun forward in this slate.
Eliesa Katoa ($17,880) is certainly in the conversation as the premium backrower in the NRL. The powerful Storm edge forward has gone from strength to strength, off the back of his career season in 2024. The last three weeks he has been punching out attacking stats for fun, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t do so again. Averaging four offloads, over two tackle breaks, and a line-break assist over the past three games, Katoa has a great ceiling and is capable of more than one attacking play per game. Pick with confidence.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup
