Canterbury Bulldogs V North Queensland Cowboys
Both these sides had an underwhelming opening round and don’t have significant changes for their round two match. The Doggies showed a lot of guts against the Eels and managed to keep them to one try, although they seem to have trouble finding the try line themselves. I’m tipping my Cowboys to take the two points in this match up.
Hooker
Jeremy Marshall-King ($5,300) and Jake Granville ($5,600) produced a similar output last week although the former is the only one of the two that plays 80 minutes. The Cowboys tend to leak points through the middle while the Bulldogs tend to leak most of their points on the edge. I think Marshall-King is the better option here.
Forwards
John Asiata ($3,800) has been moved to the interchange so his base output may drop with the positional change. He should still manage to justify that cheap price tag though. Joe Stimson ($4,100) produces a lousy 15.7 points last week but he’s still worth considering with the weakness of the Cowboys’ defence. Dylan Napa ($5,900) is certainly your safety pick here while Jason Taumalolo ($9,400) probably isn’t worth his monster price tag. I’ll be looking at the cheap to mid-range options for my forwards.
Halves
Scott Drinkwater ($6,500) was outstanding last week against the Broncos and I’m backing him to produce a couple of attacking stats against the Doggies. The Bulldogs’ halves need prove themselves before I consider them as a relevant Moneyball option. I’m running Drinkwater as my half in this contest.
Outside Backs
Despite his efforts last week and being the Cowboys’ goal kicker, Valentine Holmes ($10,900) is too risky at his price tag. I like the high floor of Esan Marsters ($6,600); he’ll more than likely snag a try assist or significant attacking stat against the weak edge of the Bulldogs. Ben Hampton ($4,300) is certainly worth a shot with his low price tag. He scored very well last week and should see plenty of ball when the Cowboys look to attack. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak ($5,400) is the only outside back from the Doggies that’s worth considering in my eyes. He produced a respectable base output and may break the line when the Cowboys typically take their foot off the pedal at the start of each half.
Score prediction: Cowboys by 14