Draft rankings: FLB, 5/8 positional analysis

The 5/8 position can be a bit sketchy and it’s looking very shallow to start the year.

If you don’t get a quality 5/8 in the draft, you could have a headache all year trying to find one on the waiver.

However, with these shallow positions, there’s no need to use a high pick on a mediocre 5/8 when there is value and quality on the draft board in other positions.

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If you miss out on some of the top tier 5/8s, don’t panic, just be patient and see if there is value later in the draft. 

If you miss the value picks just take whatever is left as your last few picks and keep your eye on some HFBs that may get the dual 5/8 position throughout the year.

Below are our rankings of the top 12 5/8s – these rankings typically take into account a Round 26 Grand Final in a ‘non-captains’ league.

Name	2023 Average
Dylan Brown	76
Cameron Munster	71
Cody Walker	69
Matt Burton	57
Jayden Campbell	45
Thomas Dearden	58
Luke Brooks	55
Jarome Luai	58
Ezra Mam	53
Luke Keary	54
Luke Metcalf	47
Braydon Trindall	43

1.     Dylan Brown

Brown went to another level last year. He has consistently had decent base stats but also has that high ceiling you want in a round one pick. 

We can only see him getting better this year and hopefully wants to repay the Eels for the time he spent on the sidelines last year.

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2.     Cameron Munster (5/8) 

Munster is rock solid and will never let you down with high floor. 

We all push him up our draft rankings each year based on his skill. 

We just don’t think he is going to embrace that flashy side of his game as much as we all want him to in a well-structured Storm side.

He is also very unpredictable and can often get his better scores against the better sides, which makes it hard to predict the best time to captain him in a captain’s league.

A great consistent pick in a team that will be scoring plenty of points this year, but don’t expect too many high ceiling scores.

3.     Cody Walker 

Cody is another player that has great upside every year since he came into the game. 

He is starting to get older and goes into the season with a calf injury so he slips down the list a bit. 

Walker will still be involved in all of Souths attack and will still be putting on big scores on the weaker sides.

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4.     Matt Burton

Burton could be much further down this list depending on how pessimistic you are on him. 

We believe that his 57 average of last year is truly his floor and will improve with better players around him. 

We also believe he will retain the kicking duties and has shown glimpses of what he is capable of. The dual HFB/5-8 positioning is very handy and he has a decent finals draw.

5.     Jayden Campbell

Campbell is likely to take over the fullback role at the Titans which will see him improve his average from last year. 

He has the talent to be a great SuperCoach player but will have low scores in him as well.

Unfortunately he’s set to miss the first few games due to injury, but the Titans do have a round 2 bye anyway which eases the pain a bit for anyone that drafts Campbell.

6.     Thomas Dearden

The new Cowboys’ captain, Dearden, would likely be #4 on this list if it wasn’t for the Cowboys poor finals draw. 

We expect him to grow and be even more involved than last year. He has proven he can go big on his day, with a 179 point score last year.

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7.     Luke Brooks

Brooks has always scored decently in a poor Tigers side, with an average of 55 last year. 

He was always the dominate half in the Tigers side. Now as the running half at Manly, he will get less touches of the ball but hopefully converts his touches to points with less pressure to steer the side around.

8.     Jarome Luai

Luai’s shoulder concern in a slight worry, but he should be similar to last year given his position in a hot Panthers side.

9.     Ezra Mam

Needs to do a lot to score decent SuperCoach points, but in a stacked Brisbane side will have his big games against some of the weaker sides.

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10.  Luke Keary

Another year older, Keary slips down the list and his concussion risk is always a worry. 

Not a guy we really want to rely on, but will do a job if he is still on the board late.

11.  Luke Metcalf

Metcalf has so much potential as a running half for the Warriors. 

He could be the value pick at 5/8, but does have a fair bit of competition for his role. 

If we got word he is locked into the starting 5/8 spot he would be much higher on the list.

12.  Braydon Trindall

Trindall is another player that has to do a lot for his points and will likely have limited opportunities. 

He is still playing in a good attacking side and should anything happen to Hynes, he will have much better SuperCoach output.

Sleepers:

·      Dylan Walker

·      Jayden Sullivan

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FLB Rankings

Fullback is arguably the most important position in SuperCoach as they play such a key role in attack and have so many opportunities in most NRL teams. 

Five of the top ten players last year (by average) were fullbacks. Which is consistent with previous year’s top players.

Elite options will fly off the board in the first round, but FLB has some depth if you miss those top tier plays.

There’s five fullbacks that will go in the first round in most leagues – Ponga, Turbo, Trell, Walsh and Drinkwater.

Papenhuyzen will likely go round two but might slip into round one if people are chasing that ceiling, and Tedesco won’t be far behind him.

So seven people will have fullbacks at a minimum by round 3, which means if you miss out on those options don’t rush to get the next available fullback. 

Below are our rankings of the top 12 FLBs – these rankings typically take into account a Round 26 Grand Final in a ‘non-captain’s’ league

Name	2023 Average
Kalyn Ponga	87
Tom Trbojevic,	82
Latrell Mitchell	77
Reece Walsh	83
Scott Drinkwater	80
Ryan Papenhuyzen	45
James Tedesco	69
Clint Gutherson	79
Dylan Edwards	69
William Kennedy	65
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow	59
Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad	67

1.     Kalyn Ponga 

He is also one of the most talented players in the NRL and last year proved he could consistently put up big scores, with the kicking duties to help boost his attacking potential.

The head knocks are still a big worry but with the Knights having a decent finals draw and he is in career best form that can’t be ignored.

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2.     Tom Trbojevic

Turbo defines the high risk vs high reward pick. 

History tells us that he is most likely to get injured. However, if he is healthy for four weeks of your finals he could win you a comp and for that reason alone he is second on this list.

3.     Latrell Mitchell

Latrell spent a lot of the time off the field last year and also had a bit of a dip in his performances. 

In 2021 he averaged 82 and 2022 he averaged 85, which he can get back to easily in 2024. 

He has an easier finals draw then Walsh and Drinkwater, which is why we’d draft him as our 3^rd FLB of choice.

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4.     Reece Walsh

2023 was a breakout year for Walsh, averaging 80 and looking untouchable some weeks. 

We firmly believe this will be his new norm. The Broncos do have a tough finals draw, but there is a world where he finishes the year as the best fullback, especially if he were to somehow get the kicking duties.

5.     Scott Drinkwater

Drinky is THE guy the Cowboys turn to for attack as most of their points come through him. 

Drinky has an even tougher finals draw then Walsh, which is why he is 5^th on our list, but he won’t let you down throughout the season.

6.     Ryan Papenhuyzen

Like Turbo, Papi is a high risk vs high reward pick with some rotten luck. 

Again, if he can just stay on the field for your finals he could win you your comp. 

We are a little more worried about the confidence levels of Papi given the ordeal he has gone through but even if he is at 75% he is a great pick here.

He didn’t kick goals in the first trial game, but hopefully he picks this up again soon enough.

He impressed in his first hitout back against the Dogs.

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7.     James Tedesco

We fear the golden era of Tedesco is over as he turns another year older. 

A lot of his points in the past came from his tackles breaks and he just isn’t as elusive as he once was. He will still do a solid job and we could see him averaging low 70’s, but he won’t be higher than that.

8.     Clint Gutherson

Mr consistency, Gutho has been solid as a second-tier fullback for a number of years. 

We expect more of the same this year, he won’t move up into the elite fullback tier and he won’t drop below to the tier down.

9.     Dylan Edwards

Another extremely fit player that will get through a lot of work with a low floor and will have a few big games. 

Being in the Panthers side he’s just one of many attacking weapons that doesn’t always see the ball in attacking zones.

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10.  William Kennedy

Kennedy will have his low scoring games as his floor as always been a worry. 

However, he will score a lot of tries simply with his support play when the Sharks go on a run, while he also has plenty of quality touches when given the opportunity.

11.  Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow

Expect a few low scores if you draft the Hammer, but he will get plenty of opportunities playing fullback for the Dolphins, who should be better than they were after a solid debut season last year.

12.  Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad

CNK averaged 33 points in base last year and we were surprised as it felt like he should have been in the 40s. 

He puts his body through hell and his concussion risk is a worry, but playing in an improved Warriors side means he is a great value pick at 12. 

Sleepers

·      Jahream Bula

·      Chevy Stewart