FULLBACK
DAINE LAURIE
WFB $495K (34 BE)
With Charlie “Pitt” Staines joining the club, there are now two jerseys available between Staines, Laurie and Maumalo, depending on what type of side the Tigers want to put on the park. Expecting Maumalo to miss out, but a few early losses could change that. As a result, Laurie is an unnecessary risk with low upside.
PROJECTION: 35-40 PPG
WINGER
DAVID NOFOALUMA
WFB $563K (39 BE)
Fresh off his loan to the Storm, Nofoaluma returns to a very different looking Tigers side, with what is basically a whole new forward pack. There should be a lot more upside than what we listed, but not enough to tempt us at the price.
PROJECTION: 38-43 PPG
CENTRE
TOMMY TALAU
CTR/WFB $250K (17 BE)
Talau returns after the best part of two years on the sidelines, and looks likely to get first crack at a centre spot in 2023. If named, he becomes an easy selection for Fantasy managers, particularly with the dual position eligibility.
PROJECTION: 27-32 PPG
CENTRE
STARFORD TO’A
CTR/WFB $412K (28 BE)
To’a had somewhat of a breakout at the end of 2022, and looks set to carry that into 2023. Unfortunately, he made all his money there, so unless there is a huge increase in output he wont be relevant.
PROJECTION: 29-32 PPG
WINGER
CHARLIE STAINES
WFB $372K (25 BE)
Unfortunately, the way Staines plays the game and the way that Fantasy is scored are about as incompatible as it gets. If he was to win the fullback job, I could definitely see him being worth another look, but for now its an avoid.
PROJECTION: 24-28 PPG
FIVE-EIGHTH
ADAM DOUEIHI
HLF $771K (53 BE)
In 8 performances in the #6 jersey in 2022, Doueihi cranked out a 60+ average in a poor Tigers side. Realistically, the ceiling for Doueihi is Cleary/Hynes, and the only real obstacle in his path is the coach letting it happen off the back of this pack.
PROJECTION: 55-60 PPG
HALFBACK
LUKE BROOKS
HLF $513K (42 BE)
In the 5x performances partnering Doueihi in 2022, Brooks produced an inconsistent average of 43.6, made up of 2x sub 30 scores, 2x mid 40s and a 60+. This is not what we want from our halves.
PROJECTION: 40-45 PPG
PROP
DAVID KLEMMER
MID $797K (55 BE)
Klemmer joins what is likely the best side since his early Bulldogs days, but that isn’t actually a good thing for Fantasy. More than likely, Klemmer won’t be a keeper in 2023 with the shared Tigers workload.
PROJECTION: 47-52 PPG
PROP
JOE OFAHENGUE
MID $771K (53 BE)
Ofa was the heart and soul of the Tigers pack in 2022, and is priced as such. With reinforcements like Klemmer, Papali’i and Bateman you can expect big regression from Joe O in 2023.
PROJECTION: 43-48 PPG
LOCK
JOHN BATEMAN
EDG $809K (55 BE)
Creators have added Bateman at an awkward enough price to dissuade us from being bullish on buying him, particularly given the massive value at the position. One to target in the Origin period if he shows the same chops he did in 2019.
PROJECTION: 50-55 PPG
EDGE
SHAWN BLORE
MID $250K (17 BE)
With Bateman having an underdone preseason and the Tigers in search of a ball playing lock, we expect Blore to split an edge with Bateman (who will also play in the middle) and provide decent scoring, but certainly a dangerous proposition and could easily be moved to the bench.
PROJECTION: 25-30 PPG
EDGE
ISAIAH PAPALI’I
EDG $866K (59 BE)
Ipap is probably the highest variance of projections in our group, with a 15 point variance from highest to lowest projection (67 to 52). As a result, we split the difference and projected him in the middle of that. He likely loses minutes every so often to give other guys some time in big margins, as Bateman can play 80 in his sleep. Expect inconsistent scoring here.
PROJECTION: 57-62 PPG
HOOKER
APISAI KOROISAU
HOK $718K (49 BE)
Api should be dangerous off the back of this forward pack, but seems unlikely to be asked to play 80 every week at his age. As a result, he is probably priced about right, and not likely any additional value here.
PROJECTION: 45-50 PPG
THE BENCH
PROP
STEFANO UTOIKAMANU
MID $396K (27 BE)
Keep an eye on the competition for the starting middle spot, assuming they don’t use Bateman or Papali’i in the middle with Blore on the edge. If Stefano wins this role, he is worth the dice roll.
PROJECTION: 34-39 PPG
PROP
FONUA POLE
MID $504K (35 BE)
One of the “heroes” of the 2022 campaign, Pole and Utoikamanu are probably competing for minutes on the bench and likely to cannibalise each other.
PROJECTION: 30-35 PPG
BENCH FORWARD
JUSTIN MATAMUA
EDG/MID $230K (16 BE)
One to keep an eye on the pecking order of minutes, particularly if he starts at lock in round 1 in the ball playing role, splitting with John Bateman.
PROJECTION: 25-30 PPG
UTILITY
JAKE SIMPKIN
HOK $416K (25 BE)
Just playing the minutes that Api doesnt, could well be Will Smith or other too.
PROJECTION: 10-15 PPG
FORWARD AVERAGE MINUTES PROJECTIONS
| PLAYER | MID | EDG | HOK |
| BATEMAN | 45 | 25 | |
| KLEMMER | 55 | ||
| OFAHENGUE | 50 | ||
| BLORE | 55 | ||
| PAPALI’I | 70 | ||
| KOROISAU | 65 | ||
| UTOIKAMANU | 35 | ||
| POLE | 20 | 10 | |
| MATAMUA | 35 | ||
| SIMPKIN | 15 |
Amateurs Fantasy Sports 
Thoughts on Batemans expected price?
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