Phins’ relief on Herbie’s injury scare
The Dolphins are confident Herbie Farnworth has dodged a bullet after their star recruit limped from training on Tuesday.
Less than 24 hours after Tom Gilbert was ruled out for the season with an ACL rupture, Farnworth sent a scare through Redcliffe after jarring his knee during a training session.
The England international looked to be in pain as he hobbled from the field and didn’t return to the session.
However Dolphins fitness staff cleared Farnworth of a serious injury and he will be monitored this week.
The Dolphins are confident Farnworth will be on deck to launch their 2024 NRL premiership campaign against the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on March 10.
Dolphins prop Jarrod Wallace said the club was in a better position to cover the loss of players this year than in its foundation season.
“I didn’t even see he got injured. I’m sure he’ll be fine,” he said.
“He’s a bit of a princess after being named number one on the NRL’s hottest list. If something was to happen to him we’ve got Tesi (Niu), Jake Averillo. We’ve got five players ready in every position.”
Brimson (main picture) played the second trial match for the Titans at centre, finishing with eight tackles, 176 metres gained and 43 fantasy points. There’ll be positional updates after the trials and before the start of the season, so Brimmo will surely get dual CTW-FLB positioning. It is uncertain how Des Hasler will inject Brimson at centre, but with his playmaking ability its hard to see him not playing a roaming role. He averaged 58 points last season from 71 minutes, well reduced due to injuries. If available at centre, and his style of play in the trials looks appealing, you would be wise to start with him.
Beau Fermor ($467,300, 2RF): He’s returning from an ACL injury which notoriously correlates to fairly poor scoring. The difference with Fermor is that it was a 2023 preseason injury, so not only has he had ample time to recover,
The brother of Payne is frontrunner for the vacant edge back row spot of Fifita (pectoral), who is out until round four. Translation: We have a borderline cheapie confirmed to play round one and presumably big minutes. They are the positives. But the negatives are big. Job security post Fifita’s return is almost nonexistent.
Keano Kini ($287,900, 2RF): Some big ticks here. Kini will play round one with Jayden Campbell out until round four with injury. Kini is also an absolute beast, winning man of the match in the 2023 Queensland Cup grand final. Even though Campbell is very good, Kini is a rare talent and a chance of pushing his way into a permanent spot. But there 2022, injuries and suspensions kept him off the park for half of last season – leading to just six tries in 13 appearances. A return to the mean could see North Queensland’s greatest aerial threat become one of the topscoring SuperCoach backrowers.
Reuben Cotter ($542,700, FRF/2RF): Cotter has become one of the competition’s best workhorses, earning him Queensland and Australian rep honours. North Queensland has a hulking front row
Xavier Willison ($265,200, FRF): The Broncos have lost some serious middle power in Thomas Flegler (Dolphins) and Keenan Palasia (Titans). Willison was huge in the All Stars match, scoring a try and running for 84 metres, and he appears to have won a bench spot for round one. Willison is a big man with a bright future – and a horrible history with injuries – but his PPM of 1.53 is basically unheard of in SuperCoach.
Blake Mozer ($238,900, HOK): Blake Mozer has been the name on everyone’s lips at Red Hill for some time now, with the hooker seemingly edging closer to establishing himself in the NRL. The Queensland Cup star made his first-grade debut in the final
With Kurt Capewell departing it opens up an 80 minute role for Piakura who is rated highly from SuperCoaches. He’s priced on a 42 point average from 57 minutes per game in 2023. He averaged 59.6 points in five 65-plus minute games last season. He averaged 39.4 in base stats (tackles and runs) in those games. He is rated as a Briton Nikora type player who will rely more on attacking stats to score well, but has the talent in a gun team to produce those attacking stats. Definitely on the radar for many in round one, although 2RF does look like a position with plenty of quality options to choose from.
Fletcher Baker ($320,000, FRF): The former Rooster is set to walk straight into a bench prop spot at the Broncos, who have lost Flegler and Palasia. While Xavier Willison is preferred due to cheaper starting price, Baker is still set for serious improvement after averaging just 29 minutes at Bondi.
DOLPHINS
Jack Bostock ($314,500, CTW): The Dolphins have made two big signings in their backline with Jake Averillo and Herbie Farnworth joining. The chance to play outside this duo is still up in the air though, with Bostock believed to be in the box seat to start the season. The tall winger debuted in 2023 and made four appearances with a top score of 87.