In this blog we will have a brief look at the previous and upcoming rounds of the NRL. In round 10, who's performances stood out for the right or wrong reasons and which players made the GDS Squad of the round. With round 11 of GameDay Squad Rugby League not too far away, who should coaches consider starting and which players have positive matchups. Have a read below and gain an edge over your competition. Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
GDS Squad of the week for round 10
HOK - Damien Cook (Rabbitohs) 55 points
MID - Addin Fonua-Blake (Warriors) 70 points
MID - Payne Haas (Broncos) 69 points
MID - Isaah Yeo (Panthers) 68 points
EDG - Luke Garner (Panthers) 85 points
EDG - Isaiah Papali'i (Wests Tigers) 84 points
HLF - Dylan Brown (Eels) 78 points
HLF - Tyran Wishart (Storm) 73 points
CTR - Bradman Best (Knights) 110 points
CTR - Bailey Simonsson (Eels) 68 points
WNG - Dominic Young (Roosters) 99 points
WNG - Brian To'o (Panthers) 68 points
FB - Dylan Edwards (Panthers) 70 points
BENCH FWD - David Fifita (Titans) 84 points
BENCH FWD - Oregon Kaufusi (Sharks) 67 points
BENCH HLF - Luke Brooks (Sea Eagles) 69 points
BENCH BACK - AJ Brimson (Titans) 70 points
BENCH BACK - Jojo Fifita (Titans) 64 points
Squad Total 1351 points
How many of these players did you start?
The performance of the week
This award goes to Bradman Best. Best put on a clinic against the Wests Tigers and he went onto score 110 points, this was his highest score ever in GDS. On attack he had 1 try, 3 line breaks, 1 line break assist, 1 try assist, 11 tackle breaks and 2 offloads for 66 points. Best is now ranked 9th in the GDS centre rankings with an average of 47 points. Going back and looking at his performances over the last month, I can't say that I'm too surprised to see a score of 100+ points from Best as it looks like he was building towards a big performance. Over the four games leading into round10, Best had been quietly going about his business and averaged 54 points across these games. Up until the Wests Tigers game he has been flying under the radar for many coaches but not now. With centre being such a volatile scoring position, Best has now proven that he can offer coaches a very high ceiling as well as some consistency. I don't see any reason why he can't continue averaging 50+ points a game and becoming a reliable starting centre for GDS coaches.
Riser
This award goes to Luke Garner. Garner is in terrific form and has had back-to-back appearances in the squad of the round. In his performances against the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs he has scored 80+ points. These scores have been boosted through tries, try assists, line breaks and a few tackle breaks. Other than tackle breaks, a lot of these stats that Garner has been scoring from haven't really been a big part of his game in the past. This doesn't mean he won't continue to get the odd try, but I would be surprised if we do see Garner become a regular 50+ point scorer. However, over the last two games we have seen an increase of points scored through base stats. Prior to round 9, Garner was averaging 29 points through tackles and running metres. Over the last two rounds he has averaged 45 points through these stats. If his recent performances are the new norm, Garner may become a regular 50+ point scorer but I just can't see it. Especially when he's not an 80-minute player. I have Garner as my riser as his last two scores can't be ignored but I believe this is a great time to sell high if you are looking to sell.
Faller
This award goes to Shaun Johnson. SJ had his worst performance of the season over the weekend against the Roosters and only managed to score 18 points. A lot of this is down to him suffering a pectoral injury early in the contest but choose to play through it until the 67 minute. He is in doubt for the Warriors clash against the Panthers this weekend and will be obviously benched by GDS coaches if he isn't named to start. Even if he is named, he isn't on my radar this week, and this isn't just because of the injury. The Warriors have struggled this season, but SJ has actually been performing rather well and has an average of 58 points. He hasn't been as consistent as he was in 2023 and with the Warriors underperforming, SJ has become a risky starting option. Until he is close to 100% fit and the Warriors form turns around, SJ is an avoid for me.
GDS Team to Beat - Round 11
HOK - Reece Robson (Cowboys) - GDS average of 49 points & positional rank of 1st
MID - Isaah Yeo (Panthers) - GDS average of 64 points & positional rank of 2nd
MID - Payne Hass (Broncos) - GDS average of 65 points & positional rank of 1st
MID - Addin Fonua-Blake (Warriors) - GDS average of 60 points & positional rank of 3rd
EDG - David Fifita (Titans) - GDS average of 69 points & positional rank of 1st
EDG - Angus Crichton (Roosters) - GDS average of 55 points & positional rank of 3rd
HLF - Cameron Munster (Storm) - GDS average of 51 points & positional rank of 10th
HLF - Nicholas Hynes (Sharks) - GDS average of 75 points & positional rank of 1st
CTR - Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins) - GDS average of 40 points & positional rank of 13th
CTR - Valentine Holmes (Cowboys) - GDS average of 52 points & positional rank of 4th
WNG - Jamayne Isaako (Dolphins) - GDS average of 49 points & positional rank of 3rd
WNG - Reuben Garrick (Sea Eagles) - GDS average of 44 points & positional rank of 9th
FB - Dylan Edwards (Panthers) - GDS average of 67 points & positional rank of 1st
BENCH FWD - J'maine Hopgood (Eels) - GDS average of 53 points & positional rank of 9th
BENCH FWD - Haumole Olakau'atu (Sea Eagles) - GDS average of 57 points & positional rank of 2nd
BENCH HLF - Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles) - GDS average of 54 points & positional rank of 6th
BENCH BACK - Jacob Kiraz (Bulldogs) - GDS average of 47 points & positional rank of 7th
BENCH BACK - Reece Walsh (Broncos) - GDS average of 51 points & positional rank of 4th
Players with positive matchups
Reece Walsh
After making the squad of the round in round seven and eight, Walsh has had a couple of quiet weeks. This week he comes up against the Sea Eagles who are allowing an average of 26 points to be scored against them away from home this season. At Suncorp, the Broncos are averaging 29 points per game. With it being Magic Round and the Broncos playing in front of a packed home crowd, I believe we will see a high scoring game and a Broncos win. With Reynolds out injured, Walsh is likely to take over the kicking duties and I think this will provide him with an additional 10+ points on top of what he would usually score. Lastly, fullbacks average 55 points against the Sea Eagles and just last week Trai Fuller scored 69 points against them.
Herbie Farnworth
Herbie has yet to produce a very good performance for GDS coaches this season, but he has been rather consistent with all his scores in the 30-50 point range. This weekend he comes up against the Wests Tigers, this is the team who Breadman Best just scored 110 points against. I think this might just be the week we see Herbie start to show the form that he showed at the Broncos last season and reward GDS coaches with a big score. I believe Herbie is a safe selection every week but up against the Wests Tigers his ceiling is really high. Taking a chance on Herbie this week might just take your squads total points this round to the next level and put you near the top of the leaderboard.
Reece Robson
It seems that the days are gone where the hooker position is one of the best scoring positions in GDS and this year it has been as unpredictable as ever. Grant is arguably the most consistent hooker but this week I like Robson. The main reason is because the Cowboys come up against the Rabbitohs who are allowing the most points to hookers through attacking stats. The Rabbitohs allow 11 points per game through attacking stats to opposing hookers and when you compare it to the 6 points that the Eels allow, Robson has a better match up than what Grant has this weekend. Robson is also vying for Origin selection, and this may be one of his last chances to put in a good performance ahead of the NSW squad selection.
