Raiders vs Warriors
Canberra Raiders
1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamele 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Corey Horsburgh 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Morgan Smithies
Bench: 14. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 16. Josh Papali’i 17. Ata Mariota
Reserves: 19. Trey Mooney 22. Jed Stuart
Winners
Corey Horsburgh looks set for big mins with a utility and back rower named on the bench. We have seen the big unit maintain a career PPM of over 1 and expect to see him getting back to playing similar minutes as he did in 2023 (62). He also should be a very safe play option in teams. Priced at $355,000 (36 average) with dual FRF/2RF availability, just lock him into your side.
Zac Hosking looks to have won the back row spot with Nicholson not even named in the reserves. Ricky Stuart did indicate in pre-season that he may be utilised more next year than in 2025 so we can assume the spot is Hosking’s to lose.
Losers
Matty Nicholson is nowhere to be seen after being talked about a lot in pre-season. Will be interesting to see if he is named to play in the coming weeks. If so, that would potentially spell bad news for Zac Hosking owners. Hosking has a good PPM for an edge back rower (0.8-1.0) and was on fire to start the season in 2024. If he can stay injury free, he is in for a big 2025.
Watchlist
Owen Pattie was electric in pre-season and is well thought of down in the nation’s capital. If he can usurp Tom Starling at some point this year, he could be a great option. For now, we can expect 20-30 mins off the bench.
Savelio Tamale has been named on the wing; however Albert Hopoate is not available due to the birth of his child. I believe he comes straight back in to replace Tamale.
New Zealand Warriors
Warriors
1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 2. Taine Tuaupiki 3. Ali Leiataua 4. Adam Pompey 5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita 7. Luke Metcalf 8. James Fisher-Harris 9. Wayde Egan 10. Mitch Barnett 11. Kurt Capewell 12. Marata Niukore 13. Erin Clark
Bench: 14. Dylan Walker 15. Jackson Ford 16. Demitric Vaimauga 17. Leka Halasima
Reserves: 20. Te Maire Martin 21. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava
Winners
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has been named on the wing, which increases his Supercoach relevance. He played 3 games in 2024 on the wing, averaging 72, although he scored a try in all 3 games. He should be a safe pick in your CTW due to his strong base and increased likelihood of tries.
Luke Metcalf has been named at halfback and has recently had HLF dual added, increasing his value to owners. I expect he retains the goal kicking which will help increase his scoring floor. Priced at $443,000, he could be a good money maker in early rounds.
James Fisher-Harris & Mitch Barnett look to be winners here and should command big minutes through the middle. Despite the 4 forward bench, I believe they will be unaffected and am more concerned around the minutes for the rest of the Warriors pack.
Losers
Te Maire Martin has missed selection, so any owners will need to move him on before deadline. If you are a draft owner, I would hold for now until we have further information.
While he has been named to start at lock, Erin Clark not only has Dylan Walker on the bench but also another 3 forwards. With Barnett & Fisher-Harris commanding big minutes in the Warriors pack, there does not seem to be enough minutes for Erin Clark.
Watchlist
Chanel Harris-Tavita is priced at $330,500 and is therefore cheap enough for consideration. One to watch in the coming weeks.
Panthers vs Sharks
Penrith Panthers
1. Dylan Edwards 2. Casey McLean 3. Izack Tago 4. Luke Garner 5. Paul Alamoti 6. Jack Cole 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. Lindsay Smith 11. Scott Sorensen 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo
Bench: 14. Daine Laurie 15. Isaiah Papali’i 16. Matt Eisenhuth 17. Luron Patea
Reserves: 18. Brad Schneider 19. Mavrik Geyer
Winners
Casey Mclean is our big winner after being named on the wing occupied by Sunia Turuva in 2024. Casey averaged a very respectable 50 in his debut season, however this was playing centre. With the added runs from kick returns and higher chance of crashing over for a meat pie, he could easily eclipse those 2024 numbers. We all saw him score 4 tries on debut for the Kiwis in the Pacific Championship late last year – this kid will be a star. If this wasn’t enough to get you excited, he also plays for the best team in NRL history.
Losers
Isaiah Papalií is the big loser here after being selected on the bench, with Ivan Cleary favouring Scott Sorensen. The dream of Papalií recapturing his 21/22 Parramatta Eels has (at least for now) been put on ice. I expect him to come on after 20-25 minutes and play on the edge, pushing Sorensen to the middle for part of the game. This would allow room for decent scores as well as attacking upside, however with Garner moving back to the bench once Toó is fit there is simply too much doubt to start your season with him.
Watchlist
Blaize Talagi appears to have missed the race for the 6 jumper left vacant by Jarome Luai. The former Parramatta Eel had off season surgery on his shoulder which has set him back in 2025 preparations. Some media reports have suggested that he is not quite ready to be a mainstay in the Panthers 17 yet, however with a lack of information from the Panthers it is hard to draw concrete conclusions. There is no doubt that he features heavily at some stage this year – when is the question?
Jack Cole spoke to the media this week and indicated that he had won the spot, with the fight for the jersey in pre-season making him work even harder to stay in the Panthers first grade setup. He has a stack of talent, is a Panthers junior and did not disappoint when given opportunities to play in 2024. He would be a risky play to start the year with.
Cronulla Sharks
1. Will Kennedy 2. Samuel Stonestreet 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Kayal Iro 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 12. Teig Wilton 13. Cameron McInnes
Bench: 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Siosifa Talakai 16. Braden Hamlin-Uele 17. Thomas Hazelton
Reserves: 18. Tuku Hau Tapuha 19. Mawene Hiroti
Winners
Addin Fonua-Blake looks to be set for similar minutes to what he commanded in 2024 at the Warriors, with the Sharks naming a bench with only 2 middle forwards. This is great news for interested owners. The Sharks are notorious for finding their big men close to the line so there is no reason to think he cannot maintain his try scoring heroics in 2025.
Sam Stonestreet has been selected to replace the injured Sione Katoa and could be a good option on the end of the Sharks backline. At $509.000, he might be too expensive for Classic players, however he could be an option for Draft players.
Losers
None.
Watchlist
It will be interesting to see if the Sharks continue to move away from their traditional 4 man bench. If they continue to favour a utility, Brailey will be one to watch as any loss in minutes would dramatically reduce his appeal.
