Each week we will do a deep dive into a player that had a strong performance in the previous round. The player may not have had the top score of the weekend but a solid outing nonetheless. I’ll look to cover the previous rounds performance, outlook for the season ahead, outlook for 2024 and beyond and my recommendation for this player. Let us know your thoughts on who we have down below on all of our social channels: twitter, facebook, instagram, discord.
Player of the Week
Player Name: Campbell Graham Age: 23 Club: South Sydney Rabbitohs Position: Centre Round 8 Score: 82 2023 Ave Score: 50
Round 9 Performance
Graham was the top performing centre for the round. In his performance against the table topping Broncos, he managed to cross over for three tries and this really boosted his score. He had a fairly quiet night on defence as the Broncos weren’t able to get things going but on attack, Graham and the Rabbitohs had a night out. He came away with 82 points, 30 of these came in base, 61 in attack and -9 in demerits. This was a great performance by Graham, and he was able to showcase his attacking upside.
2023 Outlook
Graham is one of the better centre options for your GDS starting team moving forward this season. He is a great defensive centre that offers a very high ceiling. Like all centres, Graham can be match up dependent and because of his match up against the Broncos, he didn’t make my starting team this week. That was a mistake and one I’ll try not to make again. Over the next six weeks he has a couple of tough matchups against the Storm and Eels but has favourable matchups against the Wests Tigers, Raiders, Titans and Dragons. I would honestly be more than comfortable starting him in all of these games. However, there may be some centres on any given week that might have even more favourable matchups than Graham. The form that Graham has shown this season may earn him a call up for Origin duties. This is just something to monitor. To begin the season, I had Graham projected to rank 3rd in the CTR position, he has now moved up one spot into 2nd in my season projections.
GDS Dynasty Ranking
At 23 years old, Graham should have many years ahead of him in the NRL. He is contracted to the Rabbitohs until the end of the 2024 season. Graham has the ability to be the top centre in GDS for many years to come in my opinion. I’m trying to get my hands on as many of his cards as I can, at the right price. I have seen some exceptionally low prices for his cards on the transfer market. What really surprised me about Graham was how experienced he is at the NRL level. After debuting back in 2017 he has chalked up 119 appearances in first grade. From 2019 onwards, he has been a regular starter in the Rabbitohs line-up and has played 20+ games a season since then. With being so young, experienced and being part of one of the top teams in the NRL, Graham would be a great asset to your squad.
JT’s Call
Graham is arguably the best centre in the NRL and his performances this season backs this up. Graham has an all-rounded game as he is one of the best defensive centres and on attack, he has proven this season that he can be great with the ball in hand. His try scoring rate of 1.2 tries a game surely can’t continue but with the Bunnies in red hot form, who knows! What I really like in his game for GDS fantasy is the steady floor he offers coaches every week in base points. This season he is averaging 17 tackles and 144 meters gained, this comes to 31 points in base, which is in the top 10% for centres. We have seen the ceiling that he offers when he gets among the attacking stats, and this provides coaches with the upside they need from a centre. He has been crushing it in attack on the Bunnies right edge and this seems to be the edge that they are favouring this year.
Every week, Graham is a serious contender for my starting line-up as I’m comfortable starting him over most centres. It really comes down to the match ups of other centres. If you are over playing centre roulette, Graham is a great card to play every week.
If you don’t have his card, I would be doing what I could to acquire one as soon as possible. This would be a play for this season and your squad’s future.