ANZAC Day brings us six hours of Rugby League goodness, and what better way to soak it all in than with a team in one of the many Draftstars contests on offer. First up, the traditional ANZAC Day clash between the Roosters and Dragons will whet the appetite, before the Warriors look to maintain their momentum, as they host the Knights in Christchurch. Finally, the Storm will look to bounce back after a shock loss at the hands of the Dolphins last week, as they take on the Rabbitohs in Melbourne. What a day of football!
Draftstars have several contests on offer for Friday night, including single-match contests, and combined matchups. These include:
NRL $6,000 – Roosters v Dragons
NRL $6,000 – Warriors v Knights
NRL $8,000 – Storm v Rabbitohs
NRL $3,000 – ANZAC Day Triple Header
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
Roosters ($1.77) vs Dragons ($2.05)
Line: Roosters (-1.5)
Points: 45.5
Warriors ($1.34) vs Knights ($3.25)
Line: Warriors (-8.5)
Points: 44.5
Storm ($1.20) vs Rabbitohs ($4.60)
Line: Storm (-14.5)
Points: 48.5
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
Bronson Garlick ($8,000) starts again at hooker for the Storm, and whilst he’s no Harry Grant, he still plays in the spine for the best attacking team in the competition. Only played 51 minutes last week, but scored 32.6, in what is a solid floor for a bottom dollar player. Obviously has the attacking upside in his favour and is a terrific option in your FLEX this week. Whilst he is likely to be spelled by Wishart, capping his minutes, it will only take one injury or concussion for Wishart to cover in the backs or halves, for Garlick to play the full 80.
James Schiller ($9,460) has scored three tries for the Knights this season and has looked every bit the best finisher on the team. I believe he is being underpriced here, based on his round 5 score of 0.1 against the Bulldogs, when he left the field after one minute. If you take that game out, Schiller is averaging 41 across four games, which is a decent score for a winger under $10k. A good shout at a try against the Warriors this week, which should see his floor in the upper 30’s.
MID PRICE
Naufahu Whyte (16,320) bounced back last week after a poor showing in round 6 against the Broncos, scoring just 28.4, by far his lowest score of the season. If you take that game out, Whyte has averaged 57, with a floor of 42 and ceiling of 72. Yes, he’s in the upper price range of a “mid ranger”, but if you can save money at half/hooker (which I go into below), Whyte can be afforded. With the Roosters’ middle rotation being further depleted with the loss of Nat Butcher last week, expect decent minutes for Whyte in this huge ANZAC Day clash.
Luke Metcalf ($14,800) is one of a myriad of mid-level half/hookers in this ANZAC Day slate. You could realistically take anyone in the $12k-$15k market, and they’d more than likely punch out a similar score. I just see Metcalf having a slightly higher ceiling than the other guys in this price range. The game winning kick from halfway last week will surely have helped the young half’s confidence, and I see a big Metcalf game incoming this week.
PREMIUM
Toby Couchman ($20,360) is an absolute beast of a player, and somehow isn’t getting anywhere near the attention he deserves. He is the classic meat and potatoes middle, with a little bit of gravy on the side, as he can pop an offload and break a tackle, but it’s his tireless work in the middle that is this guy’s best trait. Couchman is averaging 73 tackles per 100 minutes of game time, meaning if he plays his usual 55-65 minutes, he’s making anywhere from 40-50 tackles per game. Then he is running for over 100 metres per game and playing big minutes as well. Huge floor, and if could ever jag a try, would be the highest scorer in the slate by margin.
Latrell Mitchell ($16,920) is the classic rocks or diamonds player, but he generally shows up for the big occasion, and ANZAC Day is always a big occasion for those players involved. He hasn’t quite hit his straps yet since coming back from injury, but he’s always just one explosive play away from turning that around. An incredibly good point of difference, as I don’t think many will take the Rabbitohs centre against a solid Storm defence, but as I said before, this guy lives for these matchups. Leave his out at your own risk.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup
