The Round 6 Friday Double Header is a little different this week, for Easter reasons. We start the traditional 4pm afternoon time slot, with the South Sydney Rabbitohs (2-3) hosting the Canterbury Bulldogs (1-4) at Accor Stadium. Then we will have a couple of hours to fill before a 7:55 kick-off between the Penrith Panthers (5-0) and Brisbane Broncos (2-3) at Bluebet Stadium in Penrith.

Draftstars has a $ 5,000 contest with $679 to first place. The single game contests are set at $10,000 and $12,000 respectively. There are also several other contests including the Mini, Micro, and the High Roller.
 


 

Team News

One big change for the Rabbitohs, with Latrell Mitchell injured. Blake Taaffe moves into the starting side to play fullback, and Hame Sele joins the bench where doubles as a middle forward and potential utility. Lachlan Ilias has started to impose himself on games a little more as a young halfback, but Cody Walker is still struggling to have his usual impact.

Also a single change for the Bulldogs, with Chris Patolo coming onto the bench to replace Ava Seumanufagai. They were switched late last week, and it could happen again. There were encouraging signs for the forward pack last week with Tevita Pangai and Paul Vaughan both looking like they can have a bigger impact for the team.

No changes for the Panthers (why would there be!). Nathan Cleary is still working back to top form, but it won’t be too far away. Otherwise almost everyone is having an impact and playing their role to perfection.

There are two changes at the Broncos, with Payne Haas copping a suspension which sees Corey Jensen promoted to start at prop, and Rhys Kennedy coming onto the bench. Herbie Farnworth is out with leg issue, and is replaced by debutant Delouise Hoeter at centre. The backs were incredible against the Roosters last week, but we’re still waiting for a really big game from Selwyn Cobbo.


Odds

Rabbitohs $1.25 v Bulldogs $4.00
Panthers $1.05 v Broncos $10.00
 

Overview

It looks like a very lopsided slate, but as usual I can see some upside in the underdogs. I don’t necessarily see either of them winning, but there are reasons to think they can make a game of it. Firstly the Rabbitohs are below their best with the new halves pairing and without Latrell Mitchell. The Bulldogs can also improve after preventing a blowout against the Panthers last week and starting to see some signs from heir batch of big name recruits.

It’ll be tougher work for the Broncos, with Haas out and the Panthers both absolutely dominant and only a Brian To’o away from full strength (Taylan May does a pretty good impression). I think the best we can hope for in that case is for some of the middle forwards to rack up a score through hard work, and Adam Reynolds to do his usual thing.

 

Love It- Alex Johnston $11,860

Johnston relies heavily on tries and line breaks for his scoring, but that’s fine when you score as consistently as he does. Regardless of how the game goes, I like the chances of him finding some space down the left edge and paying off this very reasonable price tag. Of course there is the possibility that the Rabbitohs rack up a cricket score and Johnston joins several teammates in becoming the best plays on the slate.

 

Love It - Nathan Cleary $23,870

In his third game back from a shoulder injury, I can see Cleary continuing the 50, 63, … scoring trend with a nice 70+ score against the hapless Broncos. His scores so far have mostly been built on massive kick metres and goals, but there is so much more to come once he starts running more, and starts creating tries for his teammates. He’s too good not to get back to that level soon, so invest early. I also like his former teammate and another star half in Matt Burton, who I think could provide the impetus for a near-upset of the Rabbitohs.

 

Love It - Tevita Pangai Jr $16,000

The hulking forward has had two good scores since settling back into the second-row position, although both have included tries. Regardless, he can score in every way and regardless of how the team fares, so I love him as a play at this price. Don’t go too hard, because injury or discipline issues are both ever-present possibilities when you play with his level of aggression.

 

Hate It - Damien Cook $22,000

After 3 consecutive 70+ scores, this might be one of my bolder fades for a while. Cook is an absolute gun, but his price has spiked and I doubt he can continue putting up massive scores without a down week at some point. Following the theme of the Rabbitohs not having it all their own way in this game, I think it’s something below 60 for Cook this week. With Cleary lining up for a big score, there’s no way to get Cook into the line-up as well anyway.

 

Hate It - Josh Jackson $18,550

After last week’s solid 56 points, I can take another opportunity to warn people off Jackson. The price has shot way back up this week, and the 56 is probably his ceiling this year with a change in role & team dynamics. It’s nowhere near enough at this price, and there are about 30 better options in the FWD position.

 

Who Knows - Matt Dufty $10,000

After last week’s 0 point stinker, is there any way to get excited about the prospects of Dufty? His scoring has definitely gone down a notch or two since joining the struggling Dogs, but his price is also super low. He’s perhaps lucky to have held his place in the team with his limitations in real life, but I still think he has the fantasy abilities to have an impact if the Dogs do indeed put up a fight. Some of his backline teammates also fall into this category, with Braidon Burns another good fantasy scorer who needs the team to put him in better positions.
 

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